Lithuania announces final lineup for EuroBasket 2017

VILNIUS, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Lithuanian national men's basketball team announced the final lineup for EuroBasket 2017 on Tuesday.

With a bit more than a week left until the European basketball championship, the coach staff of the Lithuanian basketball team announced the final list of 12 players to play in the tournament.

Mantas Kalnietis, 30, point guard from EA7 Emporio Armani Milano, Italy, and one of the national team's veterans, will lead the team as the captain. Kalnietis will share his position with Lukas Lekavicius, 23-year guard from Panathinaikos Athens, Greece.

The 25-year-old Jonas Valanciunas from Toronto Raptors, NBA, is to be the main center forward for the national team. Another center forward at the lineup is Arturas Gudaitis, 24, from Lietuvos rytas Vilnius, Lithuania.

Arturas Milaknis, 31, sniper from Zalgiris Kaunas, Lithuania, Martynas Gecevicius, 29, guard, who finished the season at CAI Zaragoza, Spain, and Marius Grigonis, 23, from Alba Berlin, Germany, will play guard or small forward positions.

Mindaugas Kuzminskas, 27, small forward from New York Knicks, will share his position with Edgaras Ulanovas, 25, forward from Zalgiris Kaunas.

The 26-year-old Donatas Motiejunas, who is to play at Chinese basketball club Shandong Golden Stars, will be one of the main power forwards in Lithuania's national basketball team.

During the last training phase, Motiejunas will have to leave the national team temporarily "on personal grounds", head coach Dainius Adomaitis, 43, told local media.

Forward positions will be strengthened by one of most experienced players in the team Jonas Maciulis, 31, small forward from Real Madrid.

Eimantas Bendzius, 27, forward from Monbus Obradoiro, Santiago de Campostela, Spain, is also on the final list of 12 players.

Adomaitis was appointed as the new head coach following the departure of Jonas Kazlauskas. Kazlauskas, the long time head coach of the Lithuanian national team and the former head coach of the Chinese national basketball team, decided to leave the Lithuanian team after his contract expired after Rio Olympics. Currently, Kazlauskas is the head coach of Chinese basketball club Guangdong Southern Tigers.

Lithuania won silver at EuroBasket 2015.

EuroBasket 2017 will start on Aug. 31.